


Wanna Be Loved

by m3ll0h5



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Best Friends, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Football, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Love, M/M, POV Alternating, POV Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), POV GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Sadness, dreamnap, dreamnotfound, hug, kiss me, kiss me by ed sheeran lol, smut?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-14 19:29:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29796780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/m3ll0h5/pseuds/m3ll0h5
Summary: George is a struggling college student and Dream is a rich quarterback of the school's team. George needs extra cash and Dream wants a cute tutor. Perfect match for dating, wait- what?-Prompt idea from @/mcytficprompts on Twitter!
Relationships: Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), GeorgeNotFound & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Karl Jacobs & Luke | Punz
Comments: 10
Kudos: 94





	1. Stargazing

Rain hit the window like bullets, creating an annoying tapping noise that irked George’s senses more and more each moment. The subtle blue-white light from his laptop shone onto his face as he wrote. 

Write. Erase. Write. Erase. _Snap._

“Shit,” He mumbled under his breath as he wiped away the eraser shavings and broken pencil lead from his page. He groaned as he stared at the dull mechanical pencil in his hand. The sudden snap of his pencil messed up his I, making it look like an L. He leaned back in his chair, the tapping of rain on the window becoming more aggravating and unbearable by the second. The sound rang in his head on a constant loop, and it became too much. 

He got up from his desk, walking into the main room that he shared with his roommate. As he opened the door, he saw his roommate sitting on the couch with, yet another random girl, making out loudly. He scoffed, making them stop and look back. His roommate looked back first, making eye contact with George. 

He grinned at George and sighed. “Hey, George.” His voice was low and breathy, having been exhausted from locking lips with the rando on his couch. George leaned forward onto the counter, eyeing down the girl. He lifted his chin in a swift motion, motioning to the girl who was now staring at the television. “Who’s this?” 

His roommate rolled his eyes as he grinned, standing up and reaching for the girl’s hand to bring her with him. “Maddie, this is George, my roommate,” The tall man stood before George motioned to him, and the girl sheepishly waved. “And George, this is Maddie.” George half smiled at the girl, and stared at his roommate. He laughed, “And we will be going to my room,” He showed the girl to his room, shooting George a small wink and a grin as he passed by. 

“Your roommate is nosy.” George heard as they walked away, resulting in a chuckle from his roommate. “And cranky.” He laughed at the comment from his roommate, resuming the task he’d come out here to complete in the first place: getting food. 

He opened his cupboards, hoping for any bit of food he could find. All he found was a half-eaten bag of stale Pita chips from three weeks ago and a half loaf of bread. He groaned, along with his growling stomach as he stared at the empty cupboards. They really needed food, but George wouldn’t admit he couldn’t really afford it. And he didn’t have the heart to ask Colin, his roommate, to pay for all of it. So, he starved. He starved until he could make it to classes where they had complimentary lunch and occasional donuts and coffee. 

He pulled out the bread, resorting to eating plain toast with nothing on it, as that was all they had. He opened the packaging to find small mold patches growing on all of the bread. He groaned loudly, throwing the bread and the Pita chips away, and hoping for anything in the fridge. And again, there was nothing. 

He ignored his growling stomach and relied on the distraction of his assignments to keep him from being hungry. He made his way back to his room and began settling into his desk again until he heard moaning coming from the next room over. He nearly gagged and quickly pulled on shoes and a coat before abruptly leaving, thankful he didn’t catch anything louder than what he heard already. 

_No distraction now._

Thankfully, the rain had let up to a light drizzle by the time he made it out of his building, making his way to his car. He unlocked the car with his key, as the clicker had been broken for years and he never had the time or the money to fix it, and sat down. His car was cold, cold enough he could see his breath. He started the car, the warm heater hitting his face immediately, only it wasn’t hot air, it was cold air since it hadn’t time to heat up. He turned the vent towards his feet and began driving. 

During his drive to the store, he contemplated whether or not he should ask his parents for money to buy groceries. They’d never had a problem with it, in fact, they encouraged him to use the ‘family debit card’ if he ever needed it. He never did, as he wanted to prove he could afford life on his own. 

He’d moved away from his parents in New York to his school in North Carolina, where he insisted he could stand on his own. He’d gotten a part-time job, which he insisted he could handle given his class schedule, and he was trying to find more side jobs, as he was barely getting by. With paying off college debt, paying for half of his rent, and living, he didn’t have much left over. Nor did he have time off. He was majoring in computer science, which is why he moved so far away from his parents for school. He was sleep deprived, broke, lonely, and right now- cold. 

He parked his car and called his mom, hoping she would answer so that he could ask. After three rings, she did. “Mom?” His voice was low and shaky, he felt guilty for asking. “Hey, George, what’s up?” They made small talk for a few seconds before George asked. “I’m really sorry to ask this but do you think I can use like a hundred dollars off of the family card for groceries? We’ve been out for weeks and with my work schedule and millions of assignments, it’s been hard for me to pick up extra shifts and Colin isn’t ever home to eat them so it’s hard to ask him-” His mom cut him off with a laugh. 

“George, use the card whenever you need it. Honey, that’s why we gave it to you. You can use as much as you want, we know how hard you work.” Her voice was sweet and gentle, George missed them. He thanked her, assuring her that after his exams he’d have more time to work and not have to use as much of his time for studying. He didn’t want to make this a regular thing at all. 

He got off the phone and made his way into the store, a slight weight being lifted off of his shoulder as he entered, knowing he would survive the week. He bought the necessities, trying to be cautious of not buying junky things he knew Colin would eat all of. 

Collin was sweet, a total jackass, but sweet. He always bought his share of food and paid his rent on time. George knew his parents paid for all of his food and rent, but it was still kind of him to get it to him on time. He always had a different girl over, always leading multiple on at once, or breaking hearts left and right. It was alright the first ten times George saw a different girl, he’d mind his business. But when Colin would introduce him to every single new girl, it became annoying and repetitive. Eventually, he became rude on purpose just to get them away from him. Colin found it amusing, George found it annoying. 

Colin was tall, athletic, smart, nice, and very attractive. He was roughly 6’2, lean athletic build, nice and funny, and had dark hair and light eyes, George’s weakness. George wasn’t out, not to the public, but amongst his close friends and family he was, which was all he needed. He didn’t hide it, but he didn’t see a reason to mention it to every person in his life. It also made the- rather conservative- conversations less awkward. 

“Excuse me.” A voice snapped George out of his daydream. He looked to his left, seeing an older man approaching him with his cart full of items. George was in the way of the checkout stand, and he quickly moved and apologized. Amongst his quick movement from the checkout stand, he bumped into another person. He groaned at his actions, cursing at himself underneath his breath. Without even looking at who he bumped into, he whispered a low ‘sorry’ before trying to walk away, being stopped. 

“Oh, hey! I know you,” The person spoke, making George look up to meet their gaze. The person was familiar, but vaguely. George turned his head and squinted his eyes, trying to remember the person. “I’m Dream, the quarterback.” George scoffed at the name. “Hello.” He tried to walk away from him, but was stopped by a large hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry about that, it was my mistake.” George was very hangry at this point, and the last thing he wanted to do was boost a cocky quarterback’s ego even more. 

“No, that’s not it. I know you, you don’t remember me? You come to all of my games!” He was enthusiastic, too enthusiastic for George’s mood. George turned around to meet his gaze, still not knowing who was talking to him and claiming he knew him. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know who you are.” Dream’s face turned in confusion, looking at George’s eyes. “But- you’re always in the stands, I swear I’ve introduced myself.” He was less confident, it made George laugh. He liked seeing the cocky-ness of athletes belittled by confusion. “Hmm, no.” 

He tried to remove himself again, attempting to walk away, when he noticed the man walking next to him. “Ok fine, I’m Dream, what’s your name?” George scoffed, what are they, second graders? “I’m hangry.” Dream laughed, his laughter being way too loud for George’s mood, again. “Well, hangry, if I buy you some lunch will you tell me your name?” His tone was hopeful, but George wasn’t in the mood. 

“Look, Dream you said?” He nodded, “Look, I’m sorry to disappoint but I’m grocery shopping and I need to get this food home before the ants eat our cupboards. Campus isn’t exactly the cleanest- but, that’s besides the point. Maybe another time,” He began to walk away, and thought he’d finally gotten rid of the nagging man, but he appeared in front of him again. “Ok, fine, hangry, if I help you grocery shop and let you load them into your house, will you let me take you out?” George’s eyebrows raised, making Dream flush red. “N-Not like that, I just meant-” George erupted in giggles, nodding his head.

“If you help me checkout and let me put them away, I’ll go with you for food. But, nothing expensive.” George regretted expressing his lack of money, but it was also common amongst college students to be broke, so he wasn’t completely embarrassed. Dream’s face lit up, and he nodded. Dream followed George around the store as he grabbed the last few items he needed. He was still incredibly hangry, but the odd curiosity of the quarterback spiked his interest. He checked out, and Dream helped load the groceries into his car. 

“Where are we going? I’ll meet you there.” George insisted, but Dream denied. “No, I’m going with you. I said I'd help you put them away.” Though this should have been a red flag to George, a complete stranger insisting on helping you put away groceries, he agreed and told the weird man to follow him. 

They arrived back at the dorms, and thanks to Dream, they only needed one trip into the building. They were slowly putting away the groceries, laughing amongst themselves, when a shirtless Colin came out of his bedroom, presumably waking up from a nap. “What the fuck is he doing in my house?” Colin snipped tiredly as he stared at George and Dream in the kitchen. Dream scoffed. “Hey, Target.” Dream’s tone of voice had completely shifted from giddy to douchey in a matter of seconds, and he leaned back on the counter.

“What is he doing here?” George groaned, shooing Dream from the kitchen towards the door. “Good night, Colin.” George remarked with a wink. “Text me, jackass.” He said tiredly before rummaging through the cupboards as he looked for food. George laughed as he locked the door, looking at Dream who was now smiling at him. “So, should I call you hangry or jackass? Since you won’t tell me your actual name?” George giggled, “Let’s go.” George began walking to his car when Dream pulled his shoulder. George furrowed his brows in confusion. 

“I said I was taking you, now come on, I want to know why the fuck you chose asshole in there to be roomies with.” 

-

Dream’s car was too nice for George. It wasn’t some fancy sports car, but it was a brand new Tesla, which was easily twice the price of his car. His car wasn’t shitty at all, but it wasn’t a nice car either. It was a 2013 Honda, it wasn’t anything fancy. The drive felt long and awkward, as Dream tried to make conversation while George was too focused on his growling stomach to notice. He hadn’t eaten in over 24 hours and was getting sick. 

They pulled up to a nice lunch place, which made George want to cry, knowing he’d only be able to afford a lemonade, let alone any food. “I told you no fancy places, I-” He paused. Did he just suck it up and admit he was broke or did he use the family card? “I already made a reservation, sorry dude.” 

A knot tied in George’s stomach. It wasn’t anything crazy expensive, but Cheesecake Factory wasn’t exactly affordable. They sat down at the indoor spot by the fireplace, the warm air making George less anxious. Dream took off his coat, leaving only a sweatshirt. George left his on, getting a side look from Dream. “I’m cold.” 

They had small talk until ordering time came, Dream ordered a massive burger and wings as an appetizer with a soda, and George considered what he’d do. “C-Can I get the margarita flatbread? And water?” Dream looked confused. “You don’t want anything else?” George shook his head, $12 for a flatbread was pretty much his limit, which is why he got water. The server left and George buttered a piece of the brown bread on the table and shoved it in his mouth, his mouth watering from it. He didn’t realize how hungry he’d been. 

“Why didn’t you get anything else?” George contemplated for a moment before answering. “Eh, I’m not hungry.” Dream raised his brows. “An hour ago you wouldn’t tell me your name because you were too hangry and now you’re not hungry?” He was serious, and if not for the freezing temperature his skin was at, he’d be bright red. “Y-Yeah.” Dream looked sad. But, he didn’t force him to get anything else. 

The waiter arrived with their food and they began eating, George immediately dove into his flatbread after she left, nearly moaning at the taste and the food finally touching his lips. Dream laughed as he ate his fries, slyly observing George as he devoured his food. George sighed after he finished half of his flatbread. 

“George.” He finally said. Dream looked interested. “That’s my name.” Dream smiled. “George,” He carried out the end of it, looking to the ceiling. “Well, George, why do you live with Colin?” George laughed. “Dunno. We were paired randomly, he’s actually very sweet, which you clearly don’t know.” George defended his friend. Dream scoffed. 

“Oh, really? Target-Jackass-Langfield is sweet?” He was being sarcastic. He bit into his burger, leaving his mouth too full to reply. “I could say the same about you, _Dream._ Who the fuck calls themselves Dream?” Dream nearly spit out his food to laugh, but managed to stop it before he swallowed. “Shut up. I don’t like people knowing my real name.” 

The lunch carried on casually, Dream and George making small jabs at each other occasionally, that was until it was time to pay and George sunk into his chair. The sweet, and cute, waitress came back to their table. “Two checks?” Dream shook his head as he pulled out his wallet. George pulled his out as well, but was stopped by a hand on his. “Just put everything on this, thank you!” Dream said enthusiastically. George attempted to fight, but she left too soon. 

Now George wanted to cry from embarrassment. 

“I can Venmo you my half, how much do I owe you?” George pulled out his phone to Venmo Dream, until Dream shook his head and laughed. “Nothing, I’m paying.” George raised a brow, “Why? We just met,” Dream leaned forward onto the cleared table, resting on his elbows. He grinned. “Because, George, I said I’d pay,” George felt like shit, he wanted to crawl into a hole and lie there. “Also, you got a ten dollar flatbread, it’s not like it was hundreds of dollars.” Dream chuckled, but George flushed pink. Ten dollars might not have seemed like a lot to Dream, but it was a lot to George. 

“Well, then how do I repay you? I can’t just let you pay for my meal,” Dream leaned even closer and smiled, “You can tell me we’ll do this again. I like you, George, don’t you think we had a good time?” George was still a bright shade of pink as he smiled. He agreed, and the waiter came back with Dream’s receipt and card, saying goodbye before she left. 

Dream drove George back home, and they talked about nonsense as they drove. George, for the first time in a while, forgot about his issues. He felt like royalty, having someone drive him, pay for him, and be nice to him? He hadn’t experienced this kind of kindness in a long time, it was refreshing. They pulled up to George’s building and he got out, but was stopped from leaving with a question. 

“Can I have your number, George?” 

-

The air inside of the dorm was cold and crisp, it felt just like outside of the dorm. He shivered as he looked at the thermostat, it was at sixty three degrees. He rolled his eyes and set it to seventy before he walked into the back of the place, where Colin was in his room. “What the hell is wrong with you? Sixty three degrees?” George giggled as he spoke, Colin laughed in response. “I’m not cold, you’re a pussy.”

“George?” Colin asked as George began to walk into his room. “Yeah?” He sat up in bed, the bed creaking as he did so. “Why were you with Dream?” George sighed as he leaned on Colin’s doorframe. “I mean, the dude’s a jackass. The fact that he even spoke to you is weird.” George didn’t think much of the comment, and he shrugged his shoulders. “Dunno, he asked if we could go to lunch, seems weird now that I think about it.” Colin got up from his bed and moved towards George, he was now three feet in front of him leaning on the wall. 

“Well, I don’t think you should get too involved with him. He’s-” Colin paused, “He’s a douche, a player if you will. He’s just not a good guy,” George furrowed his brows, that’s not the guy he met today. “I can think for myself, but thank you. I’ll take it into consideration.” Colin looked down at him, his brows furrowed as he studied George’s pale face. George felt self-conscious underneath his gaze, as Colin folded his arms. He didn’t say anything, he just nodded before going back to his bed. 

George left confused, confused as to why Colin seemed so worried about him. He quickly forgot about it as he saw the unfinished paper full of notes from before, reminding him of the real world. He resumed his note taking, the deafening sound of rain was now gone, allowing him to focus. 

-

It had been weeks since George and Dream went to lunch, and their friendship had slowly faded into an acquaintance. George didn’t think much of it, and Colin became more reserved, having less girls over than normal. 

Colin had a ‘big game tonight’, as he put it, and he begged George to go. George fought, but eventually gave in. He’d messaged his friends asking if they could go with him, but all of them had other plans that night. He’d tried to get out of going at all, but Colin had his heart set on George watching him play. 

George hated football, and for most of the game he did homework or smoked with the other stoners behind the bleachers. But tonight, he had no one with him. George knew the game well, well enough to know that Colin was amazing at what he did. He’d catch Colin looking at him during the game, sending a half smile or a wink his way. Halfway through the third quarter, George was well beyond done with homework, and bored out of his mind. He’d seen some people crowding behind the bleachers during halftime, and decided to go himself. 

There was a good group of five or six familiar faces, the normal smokers that were there every other game. They greeted George as he approached, one of the people George was unfamiliar with. Benny, one of the people in the group, passed the metal purple pipe to George along with a lighter. “How’s it going, man?” He lifted a chin to Benny, and Benny resumed his conversation. 

“As I was saying, I just don’t understand the hype over this other school’s team,” George drowned out their conversation as he lifted the pipe to his mouth. He held the metal object in his right hand as he lit the lighter with his left. He tipped the device slightly to the left, the fire catching in the bowl, releasing the thick cloud of smoke into George’s mouth. “Hey George.” 

George looked over to his left where the voice was from, and saw Dream standing next to him. George inhaled the smoke, holding it in his lungs as he looked up at Dream, who was grinning at him. George exhaled, the thick milky smoke filling the space between them. “Hello, Dream.” He let down the pipe to his side as he looked at the man before him. Dream lifted a hand towards the pipe, motioning for George to give it to him. He gave it to him, along with the lighter. 

“Can you help me with this?” Dream motioned to the pipe as George laughed. “You smoke but don’t know how to use a pipe?” Dream giggled. “I prefer blunts, but this works.” George helped the taller man with the pipe, holding it to his mouth as he inhaled. George pulled it away, lowering it to their sides as he looked up at Dream, who exhaled shortly after. “So, Georgie, how are you liking the game?” Dream coughed, making George laugh as he lifted the pipe closer to his mouth to take another hit. “It’s alright, why aren’t you playing?” He exhaled the smoke, handing the pipe to the next person to approach the circle. 

It was dark underneath the bleachers, but he wasn’t sure why they hadn’t been busted yet. It wasn’t exactly legal, and nobody here had it for ‘medicinal purposes’. “Benched for academics. Figured I’d join you since I can’t play.” George’s head was slightly foggy, but two hits barely did anything to him. He nodded, and Dream was clearly already buzzed. “How’d you know I was here?” Dream laughed as he looked up at the bleachers, watching the hundreds of students gathered to watch them take another win. 

“I saw you in the stands from the bench, even though you were watching Langfield.” He seemed irritated, George was intrigued. “Why don’t you two like each other?” Dream looked down at him, motioning for them to leave the group. George said his thanks and goodbyes as they detached from the group. He followed Dream close behind before he spoke. “Never really gotten along, he’s always been a dick towards me, towards my friends too. He and Sam have never gotten along, and Sam’s my boy. He and Sapnap are… acquainted, but not friends.” George didn’t know who he was talking about. 

After that, they followed each other in silence, eventually finding an empty section of bleachers to sit at. They sat in silence as they watched the game, their school taking home another win. “I should go congratulate my teammates,” Dream stood up and reached his hand out for George to take. George stood, but didn’t take Dream’s hand. “I should go, Colin is done playing and I’m tired.” Dream’s face fell, but he retracted his hand and nodded. “Okay, I’ll see you another time.” He quickly left after that, seemingly irritated. George was too tired to care, and he fled back to his car to leave, texting Colin on the way there. 

-

It had been another few weeks since he’d seen Dream at the game, but he’d still been benched and absent from the next games. He found it weird that they never hung out, but he didn’t think much of it. Colin had let up on his closed-off-ness and began having more girls over. Everything was back to normal. George was struggling for money, Colin had a different girl over every week, they were out of food, and George was swimming in assignments. 

He’d gotten an email from his school, and he opened it, scared of what lied after the, _”Hello, George Davidson.”_ He cautiously opened it, hoping it wasn’t an email of expulsion or eviction, it was actually completely different. 

_Hello, George Davidson,_

_This is Professor Green, I’m contacting you about a tutoring opportunity in my class. One of my online students, Clay Peterson, is really struggling in my class right now, and is in need of a tutor. His parents have contacted me asking for the best tutor money can buy, and I’ve decided you’d be the best fit for the job! You’re easily my best student, (don’t tell the others), and you aren’t struggling with assignments right now, either. If you will agree to tutoring Mr. Peterson, I can ease your workload by half to make it easier for you to do both. I think this is a great opportunity, as they offered $500 to $1k per session, and you can have as many sessions as you two desire. Clay knows about this, and is willing to take as many sessions with you as needed to improve his grade. The family is very wealthy and generous, so payment for your help won’t be an issue. If you’re interested, let me know by the end of the week so we can get this ball rolling._

_Best Regards, Professor Green._

George stared at his computer screen in awe. _Five hundred to one thousand dollars per session? That’s insane!_ He immediately wrote back accepting the offer, and within an hour he had a session planned for later that day. His professor had removed half of his assignments for the week, and he was about to make upwards of one thousand dollars. 

He’d been given the address, presumably a house off campus, and headed towards the house by two pm. 

-

The house was gated, and massive. He could tell by the status of their living quarters that five hundred dollars was spare change to them, and he felt poor just looking at the driveway. He entered the gate and parked his car in front of the house, and was greeted by a sweet middle-aged woman at the front door. 

“Hello, George! It’s great to meet you, and thank you for agreeing to this on such short notice! I’m Susan.” George smiled as he walked into the grand door of the house, absorbing the rich air he was inhaling. “It’s not a problem, really! Thank you for the opportunity, the money will help me incredibly. Computer technology is really a second nature to me, I’m sure Clay will grasp the concept in no time.” George followed Susan into the living room and through an archway to the study, where he assumed Clay was. 

He imagined Clay to be a no-life nerd, based on the fact that he was doing online classes. He was surprised when he was met with a tall, broad figure standing before him facing the window. “Clay, this is George, he’ll be your tutor.” George’s face flushed pink as the man turned around, smiling at George once he made eye contact. 

“Hey, George.” Dream said as he motioned to the table, his mother leaving the study.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the theme for this book is to have a different song match up with every chapter! so this chapter's song is Stargazing by The Neighbourhood :) it doesn't necessarily have to match up with the contents of the chapter, but it does give a general idea :) 
> 
> song of the BOOK is Kiss Me by Ed Sheeran <3
> 
> heyo here i am again with another one :D i like college au's and also writing so hey lol. if you liked it, please lmk in the comments! :D


	2. After You

George’s shoulders fell as he made eye contact with the man standing in front of him. Dream smiled down at him menacingly as he waited for George to say something. Anything. 

“So, Clay?” George’s mouth turned up in the corner, the grin falling from Dream’s face. Dream rolled his eyes. “Hey, Georgie. So you’re my big smart tutor?” George scoffed as he sat down at the table before them, the light reflected off of the mahogany table onto the wall Dream stood at. “Like you didn’t know,” 

George watched Dream as he made his way to his seat at the table, sitting before the hundreds of dollars worth of nice equipment he had in front of him. George was now connecting all of the dots from their previous interactions. His house and wealth status explained his nice car and expensive clothes. His academic suspension explained why he was with him at the game. His busy football schedule explained his online classes. It all made sense, what didn’t make sense is why this charming football star had taken such a liking to the quiet nerd. 

Dream laughed as he opened his laptop, the milky white Apple logo illuminating on the back of his screen. “I didn’t, what makes you think I did?” His tone lowered as he leaned forward onto the table, his arms folding and resting on his elbows. George studied Dream’s face instead of replying. He watched as his eyes stayed stagnant on George’s and how his shoulders lifted and fell with every breath. 

_He is quite attractive._

George shook himself out of the staring contest, his face flushed pink as he began taking out his laptop, Dream furrowed his brows in response. “So,” George spoke, “Let’s get this started.” Dream smiled at the brunette before him. 

George struggled throughout the entirety of the lesson. He’d notice the way Dream would grasp a concept well, but dwell on his answer so much to the point where he got it wrong. He understood most of the material, which made George sad considering he’d hoped there would be more than one session for his bank account’s sake, but he wasn’t sure why Dream needed a tutor in the first place. George kept getting distracted by Dream’s charms, one of the many reasons he’s a great playboy. 

The session ended fairly quickly, and George declined the offer for dinner, even though he was desperately hungry. He’d always been more of a poor kid. He grew up with his parents constantly fighting over money, reusing the same clothes until he physically didn’t fit in them any longer, same with shoes. The Salvation Army and Goodwill were his family's best friend when he was younger. Even though he felt like a poor kid, he didn’t want to take handouts like one. 

“Please, George?” Dream whispered, the tone in his voice sounded deeper than a desire for his friend to stay for dinner, and George reconsidered his answer. The food smelt amazing and he was hungry, but he didn’t usually accept these kinds of offers. George hesitated, and Dream’s eyes glowed with desperation. “Actually, I’d love to, if you’ll still have me.” Dream’s mother nodded excitedly as she disappeared into the hallway to the kitchen. Dream let out a long exhale after she left, causing George to whip his head back at him. 

“What’s going on? Why did you want me to stay?” Dream’s face froze, but eased into a smile. “N-Nothing! I just wanted you to stay, that’s all!” His tone was endearing, but George wasn’t convinced. “Are you sure?” Dream nodded, but George still wasn’t convinced. 

Dinner went as expected, with Dream’s mother and father asking questions about George and his background, and him trying to answer as casually as possible. George had always been a private person, he didn’t share aspects of his life with just anyone, he barely met new people, and he stayed relatively to himself. The fact that George even agreed to lunch with Dream was surprising. 

George’s eyes fluttered as he helped clean off the dining table, his eyelids felt heavy on his eyes and his movements were sluggish. Dream’s mother dismissed them from helping and they retreated to the study, where George began to pack his things. “Lucky for you, you’re actually completely fine in your class. I don’t see another reason as to why you’d need another session with me.” George’s vision was too blurred for him to see Dream’s sad reaction. 

“Why is that lucky for me?” He was too sad, too sad for George to understand. He lifted his head to meet Dream’s gaze, his eyes still fluttering occasionally. “Because you don’t need to waste more time during a tutoring lesson?” Dream shrugged his shoulders as he followed George out of the study, the weight of his bag dragging him down. “You act like that’s a bad thing, I’ve already told you, I like you _George._ ” The hair on George’s arms stood up as he reached the front room where Dream’s mom was waiting. 

“Thank you so much, George! We really appreciate you coming on such short notice!” She hugged him, and George forced a small chuckle out. “Do you prefer cash or a digital transfer?” George had nearly forgotten the entire reason he agreed, and he looked at her for a moment. “Um, Venmo is alright, or any other digital transfer as well. Whatever works for you works for me,” they exchanged information before George left, apologizing for leaving because of his exhaustion. 

The infamous driver’s ed quote rang in his head as he drove, _”Tired drivers are as bad as drunk drivers.”_ He shook the exhaustion off before he blared his music, relying on the bass to shake him awake. The bright lights nearly blinded him, and the assholes who were using their high beams on a busy street weren’t helping. 

George could barely keep up with his schedule before, let alone trying to keep up with a regular tutoring schedule. He’d been working afternoon shifts at work after his classes, managing his classes in the morning and squeezing in assignments whenever he could. He didn’t have time for extracurriculars, and was now spending his freetime tutoring. He nodded off a couple times before arriving back home in one piece, thankfully. 

He made his way to the dorm, being greeted by Colin and another random girl when he entered. “Hey, George.” Colin sang as he watched George trudge through the door, feeling like he had bricks for shoes. George nodded in acknowledgement before heading off to his room, thankfully being full from Dream’s dinner. He lied down to sleep and checked his phone, nearly pissing himself at a notification plastered across his screen. 

**_Venmo:_** Susan Peterson sent you $1200. Your Venmo balance is now $1230. 

George immediately clicked through his phone contacts until he found Dream, and he impulsively called him rather than texting. The phone rang twice before Dream’s sweet voice rang on the other side of the line. “Hey, Georgie, what’s up?” His voice was low and gentle, sending George into a panicked manor. “Why did your mother send me so much money? I can’t accept that, we barely even worked for three hours.” Dream laughed on the other side, his voice bubbling in his chest. “She didn’t send it, I did.” 

George lied back on his pillow as he stared at the moonlit ceiling. “Why would you do that? I’m sending seven hundred back,” He turned Dream on speaker as he left to the app, navigating through his array of colorful icons before Dream’s voice stopped him. “No! She told me to send as much as I saw fit, so I did.” George’s emotions bottled up inside of him, feeling now like this was pity money rather than payment. He licked the inside of his cheek as he held the phone back up to his ear, turning Dream off of speaker. 

“Dream, I can’t accept this money. This is a lot of money, I agreed to between five and one k, this was never on the table.” George felt like a charity case. Dream must’ve known he wasn’t too wealthy, which is why he gave him extra. He sighed, the tiredness falling on his shoulders again. Dream sighed as well, “George, you deserve it. _Just let me spoil you_ , you helped me today, and you’re always kind and make me laugh. Just, please take it.” George’s heart skipped a beat. Let me spoil you?

“I’m too exhausted to argue with you, so thank you, it means a lot. I’ll repay you somehow,” He rubbed his temples with his free hand, the phone feeling heavier and heavier in his other hand. “Actually, you can repay me.” George raised a brow, “Oh, yeah? How?” His sass came out when he was tired, and he was borderline exhausted.

_Why am I on the phone with this idiot when I can be sleeping?_

“You can repay me by coming to one of my parties this weekend,” George verbally groaned, making Dream chuckle in response. “What? You’re not a partier?” George rolled to his side, his eyes falling. “Not at all, I might just send back the $200 so I don’t have to go.” Dream’s laugh bubbled in his chest, he sounded just as tired as George. 

“Come on, please? I’ll stay with you, then you can meet my friends!” George sighed. “Why do you care if I meet your friends? I’m your tutor,” George chuckled and Dream scoffed. “You’re also a stoner that goes to all of my games who’s insanely smart and funny, you’re not just _my tutor._ ” George grinned at the words, them creating a ripple of happiness in his chest. 

“Maybe, but I’m seriously about to fall asleep on the phone,” he yawned after he finished, and Dream giggled. “Then do it, fall asleep on the call.” George lifted the phone from his ear slightly. “Goodnight, Dream.” 

-

George tapped his pencil to the corner of his desk as his professor spoke, his words going in one ear and out the next. George’s eyes fluttered from time to time due to his recent lack of sleep, and his head even bobbed once or twice, almost nodding off. “George?” His professor caught his attention as the rest of the class stared at him, waiting for his response. He sat up in his chair, not having a clue what his professor was asking of him. “Yes, Professor?” 

“Can you tell me what Nick’s flaw was?” He pointed to the large board with a simple code written on it. George probably would’ve known off the top of his head had he been listening, but he was too focused on staying awake for that. He studied the code for a moment, finding the issue nearly immediately. “There’s no colon there,” He pointed to the flaw, and his Professor nodded. “Nice, George.” 

He slumped down in his chair, the boy with chestnut hair looking back up to him. Presumably Nick, but George didn’t have the mental capacity to care. His Professor carried on with the lesson, the class ending soon after. As the students began to pack up, his Professor called him to his desk. He packed his things and left for the desk, the rest of the students filing out of the classroom. Nick stayed a little longer, taking forever to pack his things, almost on purpose. He didn’t look like the type to take a coding class, but George shrugged it off. He eventually left, leaving George and Mr. Green. “So, George,” He began. “How’s it going?” George furrowed his brows. “Good? I’m not sure what you’re asking.” His Professor laughed as he sat in his chair. 

“I’m asking how you’re doing, you nodded off a few times in class today. Are the sessions with Clay too much?” George’s mind flashed to the $1200 sitting in his Venmo account and shook his head. “No, not at all. I’m just- tired. I dunno,” Mr. Green ran a hand along his beard, the small black and grey hairs mixing together into a dark grey. “Okay, George, if you’re alright then I believe you. But, if you ever need time off or an extension, just shoot me an email. You really don’t need to come to class everyday, you’re doing amazing.” George smiled as he shook his head.

“Thank you, I’ll be fine. I should just go home and rest is all. Thank you, Professor, but I really should get to my next class.” George scratched the back of his neck as the professor laughed, shooing him out the door. He trudged to the door, his feet feeling like weights. As he turned the corner, he was met with Nick waiting for him. The sudden presence startled him, and he blinked at Nick a few times. “George?” 

George looked at the taller man next to him. His hair was chestnut brown, shorter length and wavy. He was only an inch or two taller than him, but he was broader and stronger. He was clearly an athlete of some sort. “Hello?” George was utterly confused as to why this random kid from his coding class was waiting for him outside of his classroom, and why he knew his name. “Sorry, I’m Nick, I’m one of Dream’s friends.” George raised a brow.

“Sorry, Clay,” 

“No, I know who you’re talking about.” 

The two stood in awkward silence for a few moments before Nick giggled, breaking the silence. “I’m sorry, I just- When Professor asked you to correct my work, I had to look and see if it was you. If you were the infamous George in Dream’s class.” Pride swelled in George’s chest, but he furrowed a brow. _Infamous?_ “Infamous? What do you mean infamous?” Nick smiled as he followed George down the hall. 

“Dream talks about you to me often, I dunno, I just wanted to meet you. We’re supposed to meet at that party tonight, but you were in my class so I figured I’d introduce myself now.”

“I go by Sapnap, by the way,” George grinned at the silly name. “Did you and Dream come up with those yourselves?” He felt like he was being rude to the- clearly younger- boy in front of him. Nick laughed. “Yeah, when we were kids.” 

George’s next class was across the lot and Nick’s was by the class prior, and George broke off the walk. “Wait- before you go,” Nick pulled out his phone, “Are you coming tonight?” George considered it for a moment, but shook his head. “Sorry, I have loads of work to do. Maybe another time.” He nodded in response before they parted ways. 

_That kid was ambitious._

-

George noticed a hum of voices coming from the living room as he regained consciousness. He looked around, realizing he fell asleep while finishing assignments, and headed for the living room. The voices were bickering. “Dude, just go. He’s not here,” Colin snipped at the other person. They stopped arguing when George walked up to them, them being Colin and Dream standing at the doorway. “Sorry, did he wake you?” Colin asked, his tone low. George looked at both of them, still being only halfway awake. 

“Get inside, it’s fucking freezing outside.” He pulled Dream inside, him glaring at Colin as he walked by. “What the hell is going on?” Dream cleared his throat, and Colin rolled his eyes. “I came by to see you, as you weren’t replying to my texts,” 

“Obsessive much?” 

“Really? You want to do this right now, Langfield? We can do this right now.” 

“Stop it!” George finally yelled, them stopping. “I can’t handle you two, Colin can you leave us- please? I’ll talk to you once he leaves,” Dream scoffed, “ _If._ ” George and Colin both glared at him, but Colin left the room. George walked into the kitchen, pulling out his kettle and setting water to boil. “Now,” He began as he leaned over the counter. “Why are you here?” His tone was short, as it was earlier with Nick. 

“I heard you met Sapnap.” His toothy grin spread from cheek to cheek, and George’s face was blank. “And?” 

“And, he told me you weren’t coming tonight. You told me you were,” George rolled his eyes. “Why do you care, Dream? I have work to do,” That was a lie, he just didn’t want to go. “Bullshit.” The word stopped George dead in his tracks. “I didn’t tell you I was going, I said maybe. If you want the $200 back, I’ll send it.” He pulled a tea bag out of the cupboard, his house finally having food. “It’s not about the money, I want you there.” Dream whined. “I want you to meet my friends.” 

George wanted to yell at him to leave. He was beyond stressed out with college, his work schedule, fitting in time to see his family, making time to tutor Dream, having money for groceries, and having time to sleep was all too much. The last thing he wanted to do was go to this fucking party Dream’s been nagging him about. 

“Dream, I already told you it’s not my scene. And I met Sapnap,” Dream groaned, “I have more friends than that!” George poured water onto the bag, the red pigment steeping into the water. “We’re from different worlds, Dream! You party, I study. You take online, I take in person. I don’t need to meet your friends or go to this party! Why do you want me there so bad?” He exploded, he couldn’t help it. Dream’s face fell, and he stared at his folded hands on the granite. 

“I’m sorry, I- I shouldn’t have yelled.” 

“You’re right, though.” George sighed and sipped his tea. He and Dream sat in silence before George sighed loudly, setting down his mug. “I’m sorry, I- I’ll go.” Dream ran to him and hugged him, resulting in hot water spilling all over George’s hands. “Fuck!” He whisper-yelled as the liquid scorched his skin. Dream grabbed the towel next to them, him standing behind George as he pressed the cloth to his skin. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do that.” George smiled and looked up at Dream, their bodies eerily close. “It’s fine, it's happened before.” Dream smiled. 

Dream and George left soon after, Dream and Colin still argued up until George had to yell at the both of them. A knot formed in the bottom of his stomach as he drove. He wanted to take his own car, as to not be stuck there with Dream if he wanted to leave. He followed Dream’s car, his blinkers shifting directions now and then as a message to George, and he laughed. 

They pulled up to the house, it didn’t look like a party from the outside, but the tens of people crowding the inside of the house proved it was. “Come on, I won’t leave you.” Dream grinned down at the nervous George next to him, George’s stomach did flips as he followed close behind. He hated parties, he regretted saying yes already. 

He walked into the muggy room, the smell of sweat, alcohol and weed filling his sinuses. There was a crowd of guys around the beer pong table, which Dream led them to. Out of the corner of his eye, George noticed his normal group of smoker friends he hung out with at games, relief filling his chest. They noticed him as well and nodded to him, he gestured back before Dream started introducing him. 

“Guys, this is George, George this is Sam, Punz, Bad, Ant and Velvet.” He motioned to each of them, and they nodded towards George. 

“DADDY DREAM!” Someone yelled from across the room, and they spun around to find the source of the voice. “GOGY!” They found who was yelling, it was Sapnap. “You came!” Sapnap hugged George, and he reeked of beer. “What the hell is a gogy?” Sapnap giggled, the alcohol being apparent in his voice. “It’s my name for you, jeez dude, lighten up. You’re so eggy.” He whined before leaving to join the others in beer pong. 

As predicted, Dream immediately parted off, leaving George alone. Only he wasn’t alone, and he strolled to the deck where his friends were. 

“Evening, all.” George greeted as he sat next to his friends, them all greeting him. He looked to his left and noticed a familiar face, the face of his closest friend. “Ponk! You’re here!” He hugged his friend, who was already buzzed off his ass. “Hello, George. Sorry, I would’ve waited for you to start but to be honest I didn’t think you were coming,” The others nodded in agreement. “I didn’t think I was either,” He took the pen from Ponk’s hand, and went to hit the cart when he saw someone approaching the group. 

“George?” George’s eyes lit up as he immediately ran to embrace the person. “Alexa! You’re here! I can’t believe it!” The girl laughed as she sat next to Ponk and George. “It’s crazy what’ll happen when you socialize!” George scoffed as he hit the pen. He laughed and caught up with his friends, Ponk and Alexa being his closest friends of all time. They all laughed and gradually smoked together. This group of people were the only people besides Dream and Colin that George would consider friends.

“Why _are_ you here, George?” Ponk asked as he grabbed the bowl of chips, shoving a few into his mouth. George laughed, “I came with Dream, or- he forced me.” Alexa choked on her drink. “You came with Dream? The Dream? Like the QB?’ George rolled his eyes. “I’m his tutor, to be honest I don’t even know why he wanted me here so bad. He insisted I was here to meet his friends, but he introduced me then left immediately to go and hang out with other people.”

Alexa shrugged. “That’s how playboys are, they lead you on,” George scoffed as he looked to Alexa, who was now giggling. “What are you on about?” He felt the head rush the pen gave him, and passed it along, remembering he had to drive later. “We didn’t come _together,_ he invited me.” 

The babbled on about nothing until an hour passed and George’s phone was buzzing with a call. Dream. 

“Hello?” His eyes burned from the smoke around him, his vision slightly delayed. 

“Where are you?” 

“I’m out back,” Alexa and Ponk rested their heads on George’s shoulders at the same time, him being the support beam for his fucked up friends. The call hung up and a few seconds later Dream appeared behind him. 

“This is where you’ve been all night?” He sounded… frustrated? “Yeah, why?” George didn’t feel like arguing, he was finally calm. Dream furrowed his brows. “Look at me,” He leaned down to George, their faces closer than comfortable, but George didn’t seem to care. Dream looked at his eyes and his sly grin for a moment more before sitting up. 

“You’re high, aren’t you?” George scoffed as he turned his gaze away from Dream, who seemed angry. “I’m fine, dude, what’s the issue?” Dream sighed. “You need to drive later, that’s the issue.” Laughter bubbled in George’s chest as he let his eyes flutter, his head still rushing. 

“Dream, I’ll sober up by then. I’m at a party,” 

“A party you shouldn’t be getting high off your ass at.” George was no longer as calm as he once was. “What did you say to me?” He stood up, Ponk and Alexa watching the scene play out. Dream glanced down at Alexa, shooting a glare. “I said, you shouldn’t be getting fucked up right now,” 

“Must I remind you that _You_ are the one that dragged me here? I’m an adult, I know how to take care of myself.” He sat back down in his chair, feeling Dream’s eyes burn into the back of his head. 

_”It’s not like you’ve seen me completely sober anyway.”_

“What the hell did you just say?” George laughed. “Leave me alone, please. I’m stranded here for another hour until I sober up, anyway,” He didn’t look back at Dream, and he only knew Dream was gone when Benny shot a glance at him. “What the hell is wrong with arm,” George laughed at Dream’s nickname amongst the group, ‘Arm’ for being QB. Yes, uncreative I know, but it was a group of stoners that came up with it. 

“No fucking clue, but I’m not letting him ruin my mood.” George mumbled as he leaned his head on Alexa’s shoulder, him listening to the group babble on about nonsense. 

-

“Where’s George?” Punz asked as Dream reapproached the table they stood at. He shook his head and looked back at George, who was resting his head on a random girl’s shoulder. “Outside high off his ass,” Punz chuckled as he leaned his drink back, a droplet of it falling down his face. “I knew I liked him,” 

“You’re ok with this?” Punz laughed as he threw his drink in the trash. “He’s at a party that you dragged him to. He’s a stoner that’s smoking with his friends and girlfriend, it’s not a big deal, dude.” Dream furrowed his brows as he looked from Punz to George, then back to Punz. “You think that’s his girlfriend?” It was Punz’s turn to furrow his brows. “Yeah? I don’t know, probably not. Why are you all worked up? Just let loose, have a drink.” 

Dream shook his head as he watched George bubble with laughter and throw his head back. The rest of the night was the same, Dream watching George have a good time while he made sure he wasn’t doing anything stupid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> song chapter- after you by meg meyers :)


	3. Kiwi

George’s pencil tapped the edge of Dream’s table, it echoed throughout the study as the two sat in silence. Dream’s eyes found George while he was procrastinating doing his work. The man sitting in front of him was a distraction. He knew so little about him, he only knew his last name because of the email their professor had sent him, him paying attention to any minuscule detail he could pick up on George. George was a private person, he didn’t tell nearly anyone about his agenda or personal information. 

George’s eyes were fixated on his laptop screen as his fingers grazed the keys, his fingers moving abnormally quickly from key to key as he typed out his thoughts onto the screen. He was so focused it’s almost as if no one were there with him. Dream watched him until his brows furrowed and his posture leaned closer to his screen, his fingers tapping the keys. “No no no no no” He whispered under his breath, his index finger tapping the spacebar repeatedly. 

“What?” Dream questioned, thankful for a reason to be watching George. He didn’t reply until the faint blue-white light of his screen turned black, and he groaned as he leaned back in his chair. He dragged a hand across his face as he whined. “What happened?” Dream leaned closer, seeing the black screen on the laptop before him. “My computer just died.” Dream snickered. “Well, then plug it in?” 

George shook his head. “No. Like died, completely. It’s been acting up for a couple of days, it was only a matter of time until it went out.” He ran a hand through his hair as he pulled his phone out. He navigated through his apps until he found his Mail app, and he emailed his teachers. 

“Well, that gives us an excuse to stop.” Dream remarked as he closed his laptop, the soft-close of his MacBook felt like a stab into George. He shook his head as he packed his things, “No, it's not. I need to borrow a laptop from my parents to use, I can’t not have a laptop when all of my assignments are online.” The redness seeped from his eyes into the purple circles underneath, highlighting his tiredness. Dream frowned. 

“I should go, I’m sorry our session was cut short.” George stood from his chair and Dream watched, his gaze never leaving George’s. “No, let’s go buy one! I’ll take you,” Dream suggested. George’s face flushed pink as he shook his head. “I- I can’t, I’m sorry. I need to ask my parents to mail me one of theirs, until then I’ll have to use the library’s computers to submit my work.” George slung his bag over his shoulder and shrugged, making his way out of the study. 

Dream stood for a moment before chasing after George. 

“Wait,” George stopped before leaving the- otherwise empty- house as Dream rested a hand on his shoulder. “I- I’m sure we have an extra laptop lying around here somewhere, I’ll look for it and bring it to you later today. Until then, take mine to finish your assignments. I have others here.” Dream handed George the slim MacBook, the silver backing was smooth against George’s fingertips. George stood for a moment before he looked up to meet Dream’s gaze, their eyes locking. “Are you sure? It’ll only take a couple of weeks to get my parents,” Dream laughed as he let go of the laptop, he fished for the charger from his pocket. “You don’t have a couple of weeks, especially while you’re tutoring me. It’s fine, take mine, don’t go through the messages, and I’ll find a spare one here until you can get one.” Dream grinned at George, his expression was soft. 

George smiled back at him, crashing into him with a hug. “Thank you, you- you really didn’t have to do this,” Dream embraced him, feeling the soft cotton of his sweatshirt beneath his hands. “Of course, now go and finish your work while I look around this place for a spare laptop.” George left soon after, and Dream waited for his car to disappear from the driveway for him to begin his search. 

His parents were both lawyers, and cycled through computers as quickly as they were released. There had to be a random one around the place somewhere. He tore his house apart looking for one, his cat meowing at him from the noise occasionally. He couldn’t get the image of George’s broken and disappointed face out of his head. The sheer panic on his face was apparent, even if he tried to play it off. 

After an hour of searching, he called his parents to ask if they had any. To his surprise, they’d sold all of their old computers months prior. He sighed as he thought about the look on George’s face once he broke the news. 

He decided not to think about it.

He grabbed his things before leaving for his car, the cold air brushing through his hair and over his shoulders like a blanket. He drove in silence towards campus, where George’s dorm was, as he considered what to do. He’d grabbed an old laptop case of his before he left, there being nothing in it, of course. He parked his car and sat in silence before shutting off the engine and getting out, the cold air brushing his shoulders once again.

The sliding glass doors of the store opened, the warm air hit his face in a whirlwind. He walked to the front desk of the tech department, being met with a guy around his age, maybe older by a few years. He greeted him before speaking, “What can I help you with?” Dream sighed before replying. 

“I need a MacBook, but I don’t want the latest one.” The guy chuckled as he led Dream to the Apple section, the slim pickings of products concealed behind a glass case. “Can I ask why you don’t want the latest one?” The man’s voice was lighthearted, but his question was genuine. Dream laughed awkwardly as he shoved his hands in his sweatshirt pocket. “It’s a long story, I’m buying it for my friend but I don’t want him to know I’m buying it and not giving him an old one,” The worker chuckled as he pulled out his iPad, presumably looking for inventory. “That’s… interesting.” They laughed for a moment, “Alright, so which one were you looking for? For your issue, I have a 2019 grey Air for $820 open box and $999 for closed.” Dream ran a hand through his hair before he answered. “Let’s do the closed,”

The man retrieved the laptop, sitting in a perfectly crisp and sealed box. Dream purchased the laptop and brought it out to his car. He sat in the driver's seat as he opened the box, the annoying plastic clinging to his hand. He opened the charger and chose to leave the extension cord in the box, as he wouldn’t have brought that with him even if it was his own. He turned on the laptop, the fresh keys and mouse looking too-new for his supposed story. 

He tapped every key and moved the mouse a couple of times, trying to make the laptop look used. He set up the computer and all of the details, he even created a ‘fake’ profile for his mom, making it seem like it was hers. 

He wanted to give George the laptop to help him out, even if Dream didn’t know exactly why he needed help. He wished George would tell him what was going on, so that he could help. But perhaps that’s _why_ he didn’t tell him, he didn’t want Dream meddling in his business. 

He shoved the laptop and its charger in the spare laptop case he brought earlier, wiping a few smudges onto the outside of the laptop for extra convincing. 

He pulled up to campus shortly after that, his stomach was full of butterflies from hoping his plan would succeed. He carried the case down the hall, nearing George’s dorm. He knocked on the door, his heart pounded out of his chest as he waited for a response. He’d never been this nervous over this kind of thing, he always bought things for his friends and did nice things for them, so why was he so nervous?

Colin’s shirtless torso opened the door, them both rolling their eyes. “The hell are you doing here?” Dream grinned at Colin, making him raise a brow. “I’m not here to see you, if that’s what you’re wondering.” Colin moved aside, letting Dream in. “Thank fuck for that.” 

Dream approached George’s room, knocking on the closed door. No response. He leaned his ear to the door as he knocked again, to no response. “George?” No reply. 

He opened the door quietly, hoping to not see any disturbing images. Instead, he saw a sleeping George on his bed. Nearly silent snores escaped his mouth as he slept peacefully. Dream’s stomach fluttered as he watched the scene play out before him. George looked so peaceful, he didn’t look as stressed out as he usually was, always stressing over something he wouldn’t tell Dream about. He considered waking him up, wanting to see his reaction to the computer. But he decided George would benefit more from sleep. 

He left the computer case on George’s desk with a note attached, explaining the laptop. He couldn’t find his laptop and decided to leave before George woke up. Before he left, he walked over to George and put a blanket over him, trying his best to not disturb him. George immediately grasped the blanket in his fists and curled into it, grunting in his sleep. Dream smiled before he left, luckily not encountering Colin before leaving. 

-

It’s a slight hum, the sound of his laugh. It’s sweet, and it echoes across the hallways of George’s mind. He can’t make anything out, the sound of his laughter fading from his ears, the sudden silence settling in. A figure is before him, though he can’t make out who it is. A hand is raised to his cheek, the size apparent in the amount of George’s face it covers. 

“What is _this_?” 

It giggles, whatever it is. 

_”You’re so sassy, George.”_

George lifts his brows and his breath hitches as the hand slowly makes its way forward, a thumb brushing over his bottom lip. It continues moving down, and George notices the tan olive skin tone and the visible veins throughout it. It was _huge._ It could easily fit around George’s. 

_Why am I even thinking about that?_

It travels down his jaw, it traced over the almost non-existent stubble that grew on the bottom half of his face, lowering more by the second. His breath caught in his throat as the hand skimmed over his neck, the thumb brushing over his Adam's apple. 

_”That made you shut right up, didn’t it?”_

George couldn’t move. Everything was oddly foggy, he still couldn't make out who the hand belonged to, but he could make out the arm up until the elbow, until it started fizzling into nothingness. His vision blurred as the hand rested at his waist, another cupping the side of his face. He felt a hot breath near his ear, his vision too blurred to see anything. 

_”Such a pretty face, such a pretty neck.”_

_“Gosh, you’re driving me crazy, George,”_

_“But I’m kinda into it.”_

The sound of knocking on his door woke him, the brisk air blowing through his window setting into his skin. He shivered as Colin walked through his door, and he still didn’t know what time it was. 

“Jesus, dude, I thought you died.” Colin leaned against the door, he wrapped his arms around himself. “Why the fuck is the window open?” He approached George’s bed, where the window was, and leaned over George. He smirked at George as he closed the window, George was still adjusting to being awake. He walked back to the door as George sat up, walking to his closet. 

“Your boyfriend came by,” George shot a confused glance to Colin, the remnants of his bizarre dream lingering in his mind. “Who?” Colin scoffed and rolled his eyes. “You know, _Dream._ ” George laughed at his dramatic response as he pulled a hoodie over his head. “What is it with you two? Why do you hate him so much?” 

“Why wouldn’t I? He’s a grade-A prick, a fuckboy, a piece of shit and rude, I seriously do not see what you see in him.” George furrowed his brows at Colin who stared deep into George’s eyes. “He’s not my boyfriend, I’m his tutor.” Colin rolled his eyes. 

“Okay, George, maybe you should talk to him about that.” George walked to him until they were close, right in front of each other. “What are you talking about?” Colin stared intently at George, his eyes studying George’s face. The blue of his eyes caught in the little bit of sunlight perfectly, even though it was overcast. He sighed.

“Never mind,” He began to leave until George grabbed his wrist, pulling him back into the room. He rolled his eyes again as he folded his arms. “No, tell me, what’s going on? What do you know that I don’t?” 

“I know Dream. I’ve been his teammate since two years ago when we started going to this damn school. He’s the picture of fuckboy. But all of the sudden once you two meet, he’s reserved and concerned, but concerned with _you._ ” It was George’s turn to roll his eyes and fold his arms. 

“It’s true! I mean, you’re not his tutor to him. He takes you out to lunches, is constantly talking to you, takes you to his parties AND gets pissed when you’re ‘irresponsible’ or not constantly by his side? I mean come on?” George furrowed his brows. “We went to one lunch, but how’d you even know what happened at the party? I didn’t tell you.” 

“People talk, George. Everybody saw fuckboy Dream blow up at his newfound muse, you just don’t pay attention.” 

George didn’t know what else to say. Maybe he _didn’t_ pay attention. Maybe these things were true. But the question is- how did George feel about this? He was gay, after all, but Dream was his friend, nothing more, 

Right?

“Look, I just don’t think you should be around him, he’s bad news. I don’t care if you are blinded by his _charm_ or his _body_ or whatever the fuck, he’s an ass. I’ve seen it first hand. I just-” He paused. “I care about you, George, I don’t want to see you get hurt by him.” 

George’s heart skipped a beat as he flushed pink. He looked away from Colin, knowing he’d seen before he could look away. He felt the heat rise up the back of his neck and to the tips of his ears, and Colin grinned. “Awe, George.” 

“You’re cute when you get all flustered.” His tone was endearing, and it didn’t help George’s bright red face. “Take my words into consideration, I don’t want to see you get hurt when there's… _others_ that will treat you better.” And he left. Just like that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter song- kiwi by harry styles :)
> 
> a bit of a short chapter, but an important one :D I haven't noticed until this point after writing a future chapter that all three of my works on here are pretty much the same concept, just a different setting LOL. I don't know how else to write the love development, though. I should broaden into different types of love tho, maybe unrequited question mark ? I don't know if I could put myself through that, tho, let alone you guys. I love HEA's, and not getting one is too realistic. Like, I'm reading a fluffy fanfiction, not a realistic snapshot of last week.


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